"There’s a difference between the press and the Democratic Party and the press and the Republican Party."

So said Chris Matthews on the syndicated program bearing his name this weekend in the midst of a discussion about how the news media treat presidential candidates (video follows with transcript and commentary, file photo):

JOHN HARRIS, POLITICO: [Jon Huntsman’s] rationale is at the personal level, people that know him, and he’s well known within a certain set of Republican operatives, they find him impressive. Reporters that meet him tend to swoon over him. The cautionary note is the swoon primary does not typically lead to nominations.

[Laughter]

MAJOR GARRETT, NATIONAL JOURNAL: Check with President Bruce Babbitt on that.

HARRIS: Bruce Babbit in 1998. John McCain in 2000. There’s almost an inverse relationship between how much reporters gush about somebody – “Oh, he’s impressive” – and their actual chances.

CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: I remember everybody gushed over McCain.

MICHELLE COTTLE, DAILY BEAST: But then you have Obama.

HARRIS: That’s true.

COTTLE: I mean, you’ve never seen anybody swoon.

MATTHEWS: But there’s a difference between the press and the Democratic Party and the press and the Republican Party. Wouldn’t you say?

COTTLE: Well yes, obviously.

MATTHEWS: Okay.

Well yes, obviously.

Of course, if it's so obvious, why is it tolerated?

Is there really no drive whatsoever for an impartial press that treat Democrats and Republicans the same?